Hot hiring in April: health care, hotels, restaurants

If you were looking for a job last month, you might have found one involving food or fun.

A category that includes hotels, restaurants, bars, casinos and amusement parks posted the biggest job gains in April — 55,000 positions. That sector has been one of the most consistent job creators in recent years, having added more than 300,000 in the past 12 months. Restaurants, in particular, are benefiting from shifting consumer preferences for experiences over material goods.

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Health care extended its winning streak with nearly 20,000 added jobs in hospitals, clinics and home health services. Professional and business services — a sector that includes accountants, consultants and administrative support — added 39,000.

Retailers continued to struggle, adding just 6,300 jobs after losing a combined 56,000 in February and March.

Information was the sole sector to shed jobs in April, losing 7,000 in publishing, broadcast and telecommunications.